Apparatus for protecting metal from treated wood

ABSTRACT

A combination comprises a piece of treated wood that is treated with a substance corrosive to metal, a metal fastener configured to couple the piece of treated wood to a structure, and an apparatus for protecting at least a portion of the metal fastener from the treated wood. Disclosed examples of the structure to which the piece of treated wood is coupled include a building foundation and another piece of treated wood. The apparatus for protecting the metal fastener form the piece of treated wood serves as an insulator and is configured as a bushing in illustrative examples.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to apparatus for protecting metal from treated wood. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to apparatus for protecting metal fasteners and anchors used to couple wood treated with a metal-corrosive preservative to some other structure, such as a concrete foundation.

The treated wood industry no longer uses arsenic as a preservative to treat wood. Instead, the treated wood industry now uses chemicals such as, for example, Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) formulations or Copper Azole (CA) formulations, which can cause destructive galvanic corrosion of untreated metal products such as nuts, bolts, straps, and the like if the untreated metal products come into contact with wood treated with these types of wood treatment formulations. Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals come in direct contact with each other and a small electric current flows between the two metals. In the construction industry, fastener manufacturers have responded to the change in the way in which wood is treated by selling either galvanized or stainless steel components. While such galvanized and stainless steel components resist galvanic corrosion when exposed to the new chemicals used to treat wood, these components are quite expensive when compared to metal fasteners that were used in the past.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject matter:

A combination may comprise a piece of treated wood that is treated with a substance corrosive to metal, a metal fastener configured to couple the piece of treated wood to a structure, and an apparatus for protecting at least a portion of the metal fastener from the treated wood. The piece of treated wood may be a board, such as a 2-by-4, a 4-by-4, a 2-by-6, or the like. The substance used to treat the wood may be an Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) formulation or a Copper Azole (CA) formulation. The substance used to treat the wood may be of the type that can cause galvanic corrosion of the metal fastener.

The structure may be a building foundation and the metal fastener may comprise an anchor configured to couple the piece of treated wood to the building foundation. The anchor may be configured to couple to cinder blocks of the building foundation. A portion of the anchor may be embedded in a filler material between the cinder blocks. A portion of the anchor may be embedded in a filler material between one of the cinder blocks and a concrete slab of the building foundation. The anchor may be configured to couple to a concrete slab of the building foundation. A portion of the anchor may be embedded in the concrete slab. The piece of treated wood may have an aperture that receives a portion of the metal fastener therein. The metal fastener may have a threaded end that extends upwardly from the foundation. The metal fastener may comprise one or more nuts and/or one or more washers that couple to the threaded end. The piece of treated wood may be situated between the building foundation and the one or more nuts or one or more washers. The structure may be a second piece of treated wood. The metal fastener may comprise a bolt that extends through the first and second pieces of treated wood. The metal fastener may comprise a material other than stainless steel. The metal fastener may comprise a material other than galvanized steel.

The apparatus for protecting the metal fastener from the piece of treated wood may comprise a bushing. The apparatus for protecting the metal fastener from the piece of treated wood may comprise an insulator. The bushing may surround a portion of the metal fastener. The bushing may have a first portion that lines, at least in part, an aperture in the piece of treated wood. The bushing may have a second portion situated between one or more nuts and/or one or more washers and the piece of treated wood. The first portion of the bushing may comprise a cylinder and the second portion of the bushing may comprise an annular flange. The annular flange may extend radially outwardly from one end of the cylinder. The bushing may be made from either polypropylene, polyethylene, or NYLON® material, for example. The annular flange and cylinder may comprise a unitary piece. The cylinder may comprise a cylinder wall having substantially uniform wall thickness from a first end to a second end of the cylinder. The annular flange may have substantially uniform thickness from a radially innermost portion of the annular flange to a radially outermost portion of the annular flange. The bushing may be configured such that, when the bushing is placed in an aperture that extends through the piece of treated wood, the annular flange contacts a first planar surface of the piece of treated wood and an end of the cylinder spaced from the annular flange is substantially coplanar with a second planar surface of the piece of treated wood.

Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), including those listed above and those listed in the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a concrete slab, two rows of cinder blocks on the concrete slab, a metal anchor above the cinder blocks, a piece of treated wood having an aperture aligned with a threaded upper end of the anchor, a bushing above the aperture, a pair of washers above the bushing, and a nut above the pair of washer;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing the components of FIG. 1 in an assembled state having a cylinder of the bushing received in the aperture of the piece of treated wood to prevent the piece of treated wood from contacting the anchor and showing a flange of the bushing preventing a lower washer of the pair of washers from contacting the piece of treated wood;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of an alternative embodiment in which a lower portion of a J-shaped bolt is embedded in a concrete slab and an upper end of the J-shaped bolt has a piece of treated wood coupled thereto by a bushing, a washer, and a pair of nuts;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment, showing first and second pieces of treated wood, each piece of treated wood having an aperture therethrough, a pair of bushings aligned with respective apertures of the pieces of treated wood, a bolt and washer adjacent one of the pair of bushings, and a pair of washers and a nut adjacent the other of the pieces of treated wood; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 in an assembled state showing the pair of bushings being configured to prevent contact between the two pieces of treated wood and any of the bolt, the nut, and washers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An apparatus 10 for protecting a metal fastener 12 from a piece of treated wood 14 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The piece of treated wood 14 is treated with a chemical, such as an Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) formulation or a Copper Azole (CA) formulation, that is corrosive to metal fastener 12 via the mechanism of galvanic corrosion. ACQ formulations are also sometimes referred to as Amine Copper Quaternary formulations. In this disclosure, the acronym ACQ is intended to mean both. These types of wood treatment formulations may contain up to about 40% copper, and possibly more. During the pressure treating process, the wood treatment formulation may impregnate wood 14 thereby giving wood 14 some electrolytic properties. In the past, wood was treated with arsenic which is now illegal (with only a few exceptions) and which contained up to about 2% copper at most. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, metal fastener 12 is configured to couple the piece of treated wood 14 to a building foundation 16. Foundation 16 includes at least two rows of cinder blocks 18 supported on a stable underlying structure, such as an illustrative concrete slab 20.

Piece of treated wood 14 has at least one aperture 22 extending therethrough between a first planar surface 24 and a second planar surface 26 of piece of treated wood 14. Metal fastener 12 extends upwardly from foundation 16 through aperture 22 so that and at least part of a threaded end 28 of fastener 12 projects upwardly beyond surface 24. Fastener 12 further comprises one or more nuts, such as illustrative hex nut 30, that couple to threaded end 28 to mount piece of treated wood 14 to foundation 16. Optionally, one or more washers may be placed on threaded end 28 between nut 30 and apparatus 10. In the illustrative example, fastener 12 includes a flat washer 32 and a lock washer 34 that are situated on threaded end 28 between nut 30 and apparatus 10.

In the building construction industry, wooden 2-by-4's and/or 2-by-6's are typically attached to the building foundation and then the remainder of the building structure is built up from there. In the illustrative example of FIGS. 1 and 2, piece of treated wood 14 is a 2-by-4. However, piece of treated wood 14 may be any desired piece of treated wood including, but not limited to, a 2-by-6 or a 4-by-4. In addition, multiple fasteners 12 may be provided for coupling piece of treated wood 14 to foundation 16. Accordingly, piece of treated wood 14 may have additional apertures therethrough corresponding to the additional number of fasteners used to couple wood 14 to foundation 16. The description herein of one interconnection between apparatus 10, fastener 12, wood 14, and foundation 16 is applicable to all such interconnections unless specifically noted otherwise.

Apparatus 10 is configured to prevent portions of fastener 12 from contacting piece of treated wood 14. Apparatus 10, therefore, serves as an insulator between fastener 12 and wood 14. By preventing contact between fastener 12 and wood 12, which is treated with a metal-corrosive substance, such as an ACQ or CA formulation, the corrosion of fastener 12 by galvanic corrosion is prevented or substantially inhibited. Illustratively, apparatus 10 is configured as a bushing (sometimes referred to herein as “bushing 10”) that has a first portion 36 received in aperture 22 and a second portion 38 sandwiched between planar surface 24 of the piece of treated wood 14 and washer 32 of the metal fastener 12. Of course, in embodiments having washer 32 omitted, portion 38 is sandwiched between washer 34 and surface 24, and in embodiments having washers 32, 34 omitted, portion 38 is sandwiched between nut 30 and surface 24.

While bushing 10 may be made of any material having the galvanic corrosion inhibiting characteristics described herein, in most embodiments, bushing 10 may be made from any suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or NYLON® material, for example. As such, first and second portions 36, 38 of bushing 10 may be formed integrally with one another. Portion 28 rests upon surface 24 of wood 14 and first portion 36 extends from second portion 38 substantially all the way through aperture 22. However, in the illustrative example, portion 36 does not project beyond planar surface 26, but rather an annular end surface 40 of portion 36 is substantially coplanar with surface 26 as shown in FIG. 2. If desired, bushing 10 may be sized so that annular end surface 40 is positioned within aperture 22 at a location part way between surfaces 24, 26. In most embodiments, however, portion 36 will extend more than half way through aperture 22.

Illustratively, first portion 36 of bushing 10 is cylindrical in shape and second portion 38 comprises a disk-like annular flange that extends radially outwardly from an upper end of portion 36 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Bushing 10 has a cylindrical bore 42 that extends axially therethrough. In the illustrative embodiment, the thickness of the cylindrical wall defined by portion 36 beneath portion 38 is substantially uniform at all locations along the axial length of portion 36. In addition, the disk-like annular flange of portion 38 has a substantially uniform thickness at all location radially outward of portion 36. In alternative embodiments, these thicknesses may vary such as, for example, in embodiments in which portion 36 is tapered, has axially extending splines (internal and/or external), is threaded (internal and/or external), is stepped in configuration, or is serrated in some manner, and in embodiments in which portion 38 is tapered or countersunk in some manner, has radially extending splines or protrusions (above or below the remainder of portion 38), has other types of protrusions (above or below the remainder of portion 38), or is stepped in configuration.

Portion 36 may have either a loose fit or tight fit within aperture 22, as desired. In addition, fastener 12 may have either a loose fit or tight fit within bore 42 of bushing 10. In the illustrative example, portion 36 has a loose fit in aperture and fastener 12 has a loose fit within bore 42 for ease of assembly. Also in the illustrative example, the diameters of the outer peripheries of washers 32, 34 are smaller than the diameter of the outer periphery of portion 38 of bushing 10. Thus, no portion of washers 32, 34 extends radially beyond the outer periphery of portion 38. In addition, illustrative nut 30 is dimensioned such that no portion of nut 30 extends radially beyond the outer periphery of portion 38 of bushing 10. In alternative embodiments, some portion of any one or more of washers 32, 34 and nut 30 may extend beyond the outer periphery of portion 38 yet still be maintained out of contact with piece of treated wood 14 by portion 38 of bushing 10.

Metal fastener 12 is sometimes referred to in the construction industry as an anchor. Accordingly metal fastener 12 is sometimes referred to herein as “metal anchor 12” or simply “anchor 12.” Anchor 12 has a lower C-shaped portion 44 and an upstanding portion 46 that extends upwardly from C-shaped portion 44 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Portion 44 includes a lower horizontal segment 48, a vertical segment 50, and an upper horizontal segment 52. Portion 46 includes threaded end 28 and a vertical segment 54 which interconnects threaded end 28 with upper segment 52. Segments 48, 50, 52, 54 are each generally flat strips of material and threaded end 28 is swaged or otherwise formed into the configuration of threaded end 28. In the illustrative embodiment segments 48, 50, 52, 54 and threaded end 28 of anchor 12 are made integrally with each other from a single piece of metal strip. In alternative embodiments, anchor 12 may be made from multiple pieces which are coupled together.

Each cinder block 18 has two rectangular walls 56 which are vertically oriented and three connection walls 58 which are also vertically oriented as shown in FIG. 1. Walls 58 interconnect walls 56 and are spaced apart so as to define two openings 60 which extend vertically through the associated cinder block 18 and which have generally square-shaped cross section. Each wall 56 has a thickness dimension 62 and a height dimension 64 as shown in FIG. 1. Segments 48, 52 of anchor 12 have approximately the same lengths as thickness dimension 62 and segment 50 is slightly longer than height dimension 64. As shown best in FIG. 2, C-shaped portion 44 of anchor 12 surrounds three surfaces of wall 56 of one of cinder blocks 18 such that segment 48 is situated beneath the associated wall 56, segment 50 abuts (or is in close proximity with) an outwardly facing surface of the associated wall 56, and segment 52 is above the associated wall 56. Segment 54 extends upwardly from segment 52 through opening 60 of the associated concrete block 18 and abuts (or is in close proximity with) an inwardly facing surface of the associated wall 56.

Segment 48 is embedded in a filler material 66 provided between concrete slab 20 and the lower one of the two cinder blocks 18 shown in FIG. 2. Segment 52 is embedded in filler material 66 provided between the upper and lower cinder blocks 18 shown in FIG. 2. In alternative foundation arrangements, additional rows of concrete blocks 18 may be provided between the two illustrative rows of concrete blocks 18 and concrete slab 20, it being understood that, in such arrangements, anchor 12 would be associated with the upper two rows of concrete blocks 18 so that threaded end 28 projects upwardly beyond the uppermost row of concrete blocks 18. Thus, the concrete blocks 18 adjacent anchor 12 and the associated filler material 66 prevent anchor 12 from moving relative to foundation 16.

Because bushing 10 prevents contact between fastener 12 and piece of treated wood 14, fastener 12 does not need to be made from galvanized or stainless steel. Instead, fastener 12 may be made from less expensive grades of metal which would otherwise corrode in an unacceptable manner by the mechanism of galvanic corrosion if contact between such metal and wood 14 were to occur. Thus, use of bushings 10 in building construction provides a substantial cost savings compared to using galvanized or stainless steel fasteners.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative foundation 76 and an alternative metal fastener 72 are shown. Elements of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 which are substantially similar, or the same, as elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by like reference numerals. Accordingly, the description above regarding such elements having like reference numerals, and alternatives thereof, is applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 unless specifically noted otherwise.

Foundation 76 comprises a concrete slab 20 having an upper surface 70 upon which surface 26 of piece of treated wood 14 rests. Fastener 72 is sometimes referred to in the construction industry as a J-bolt. Accordingly, fastener 72 is sometimes referred to herein as “J-bolt 72” or “J-shaped bolt 72.” J-bolt 72 has a lower portion 74 which includes a bend or elbow 78. Lower portion 74 is embedded in concrete slab 20. J-bolt 72 includes an upper portion 80 that extends vertically upwardly from lower portion 74 and that projects beyond upper surface 70 of concrete slab 20. In addition, upper portion 74 of J-shaped bolt 72 has a threaded end 82 that extends beyond upper surface 24 of piece of treated wood 14. In the illustrative example, fastener 72 includes nut 30 and flat washer 32 which are mounted on threaded end 82, but fastener 72 also includes a jam nut 84 mounted on threaded end 82 above nut 32.

Bushing 10 prevents any portion of fastener 72, including upper portion 80, nuts 30, 84, and washer 32 from contacting piece of treated wood 14. Thus, fastener 72 does not need to be made from galvanized steel or stainless steel, but rather may be made from less expensive grades of metal which would otherwise corrode in an unacceptable manner by galvanic corrosion if contact between such metal and wood 14 were to occur. According to this disclosure, therefore, a metal fastener may be protected against a metal-corrosive substance used to treat wood by the use of illustrative bushing 10, and its alternatives described herein, regardless of the configuration of the metal fastener, regardless of the configuration of the piece of treated wood, and regardless of the structure (such as foundations 16, 76) to which the piece of treated wood is coupled.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, piece of treated wood 14 is mounted to a second piece of treated wood 86 by a metal fastener 88. In the illustrative example, piece of treated wood 86 is a 4-by-4 board. However, any two pieces of treated wood may be coupled together in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. While the types of structures having pieces of treated wood coupled together are innumerable, a few examples of such structures include decks, porches, piers, playground equipment, barns, storage sheds, and roller coasters. Elements of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 which are substantially similar, or the same, as elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by like reference numerals. Accordingly, the description above regarding such elements having like reference numerals, and alternatives thereof, is applicable to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 unless specifically noted otherwise.

Illustrative fastener 88 comprises an elongated bolt having a hex head 90 and an elongated shaft 92 with a threaded end 94. Second piece of treated wood 86 has a first planar surface 96, a second planar surface 98, and an aperture 100 extending therethrough between surfaces 96, 98. As was the case with first piece of treated wood 14, second piece of treated wood 86 is treated with a chemical, such as an ACQ formulation or a CA formulation, that is corrosive to metal. Thus, a second apparatus 110 for protecting metal fastener 88 from second piece of treated wood 86 is provided. Apparatus 10, therefore, serves as an insulator between fastener 88 and wood 86.

Illustratively, apparatus 110 is configured as a bushing (sometimes referred to herein as “bushing 110”) that is shaped similarly to bushing 10. Accordingly, bushing 110 has a first portion 112 received in aperture 100 and a second portion 114 sandwiched between planar surface 96 of the piece of treated wood 86 and a washer 116 of the metal fastener 88. Of course, in embodiments having washer 116 omitted, portion 114 is sandwiched between hex head 90 and surface 96. While portion 114 of bushing 110 is substantially the same in size and configuration as portion 38 of bushing 10, portion 112 of bushing 110 is much longer than portion 36 of bushing 10 so as to accommodate the increased distance between surfaces 96, 98 of wood 86 as compared to the distance between surfaces 24, 26 of wood 14.

As was the case with bushing 10, bushing 110 may be made from any suitable plastic material and may be formed integrally with one another. Portion 114 abuts surface 96 of wood 86 and first portion 112 extends from second portion 114 substantially all the way through aperture 100. However, in the illustrative example, portion 112 does not project beyond planar surface 98, but rather an annular end surface 118 of portion 112 is substantially coplanar with surface 98 as shown in FIG. 5. If desired, bushing 110 may be sized so that annular end surface 118 is positioned within aperture 100 at a location part way between surfaces 96, 98. In most embodiments, however, portion 112 will extend more than half way through aperture 100. In the illustrative embodiment, only a minimal amount clearance is provided between end surface 118 of bushing 110 and end surface 40 of bushing 10. The clearance between end surfaces 40, 118 of bushings 10, 110, respectively, allows fastener 88 to tightly clamp pieces of wood 14, 86 together without interference from bushings 10, 110.

Illustratively, first portion 112 of bushing 110 is cylindrical in shape and second portion 114 comprises a disk-like annular flange that extends radially outwardly from an one end of portion 112 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Bushing 110 has a cylindrical bore 120 that extends axially therethrough. The description above of alternative shapes and configurations of bushing 10 is equally applicable to bushing 110. Portion 112 may have either a loose fit or tight fit within aperture 100, as desired, and fastener 88 may have either a loose fit or tight fit within bore 120 of bushing 110. In the illustrative example, loose fits are provided for ease of assembly. Fastener 88 extends through bores 42, 120 of bushings 10, 110, respectively, so that threaded end 94 extends beyond portion 38 of bushing 10. Thus, nut 30 and washers 32, 34 of fastener 88 may be mounted on the portion of threaded end 94 that projects beyond bushing 10.

Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail above, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described and as defined in the following claims. 

1. A combination comprising a piece of treated wood that is treated with a substance corrosive to metal, the piece of treated wood having an aperture formed therethrough from a first planar surface to a second planar surface of the piece of treated wood, a structure, a metal fastener configured to couple the piece of treated wood to the structure, the metal fastener having a first portion that is received, at least in part, in the aperture of the piece of treated wood, the metal fastener having a second portion that mounts to the first portion to couple the piece of treated wood to the structure, and a bushing having a first portion received in the aperture and having a second portion situated between the first planar surface of the piece of treated wood and the second portion of the metal fastener, the first portion of bushing extending from the second portion of the bushing substantially all the way through the aperture but terminating short of projecting beyond the second planar surface.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the substance comprises at least one of the following: an ACQ formulation or a CA formulation.
 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the piece of treated wood comprises a wooden board.
 4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the wooden board comprises one of the following: a 2-by-4, a 2-by-6, or a 4-by-4.
 5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a building foundation including cinder blocks.
 6. The combination of claim 5, wherein the metal fastener comprises an anchor having a C-shaped portion adjacent three surfaces of a first one of the cinder blocks and having an upstanding portion that extends upwardly from the C-shaped portion beyond an upper surface of a second one of the cinder blocks.
 7. The combination of claim 6, wherein part of the upstanding portion of the anchor provides the first portion of the metal fastener that is received, at least in part, in the aperture of the piece of treated wood, an end of the upstanding portion of the anchor is threaded and extends beyond the piece of treated wood, and the second portion of the metal fastener comprises at least one of a nut and a washer that mounts to the threaded end.
 8. The combination of claim 6, wherein the building foundation comprises a concrete slab beneath the cinder blocks, a lower segment of the C-shaped portion is embedded in a filler material provided between the first one of the cinder blocks and the concrete slab, and a upper segment of the C-shaped portion is embedded in a filler material provided between the first one and the second one of the cinder blocks.
 9. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a concrete slab and the metal fastener is embedded, in part, in the concrete slab.
 10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the metal fastener comprises a J-shaped bolt having a lower portion embedded in the concrete slab and having an upper portion that extends from the concrete slab and through the aperture in the piece of treated wood such that part of the upper portion provides the first portion of the metal fastener that is received, at least in part, in the aperture of the piece of treated wood.
 11. The combination of claim 10, wherein an end of the upper portion of the J-shaped bolt is threaded and extends beyond the piece of treated wood, and the second portion of the metal fastener comprises at least one of a nut and a washer that mounts to the threaded end.
 12. The combination of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a second piece of treated wood and further comprising a second bushing, the second piece of treated wood having a second aperture which receives a first portion of the second bushing, and the metal fastener extends through the first and second bushings received in the first and second apertures, respectively.
 13. The combination of claim 12, wherein the second piece of treated wood has a first planar surface facing away from the first piece of treated wood and has a second planar surface facing toward the first piece of treated wood, the second aperture extends all the way through the second piece of treated wood between the first and second planar surfaces, and the first portion of the second bushing extends substantially all the way through the second aperture but terminates short of projecting beyond the second planar surface of the second piece of treated wood.
 14. The combination of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the first bushing has an end surface that is substantially coplanar with the second planar surface of the first piece of treated wood and the first portion of the second bushing has an end surface that is substantially coplanar with the second planar surface of the second piece of treated wood.
 15. The combination of claim 13, wherein a first distance between the first and second planar surfaces of the second piece of treated wood is larger than a second distance between the first and second planar surfaces of the first piece of treated wood and the first portion of the second bushing is longer than the first portion of the first bushing.
 16. The combination of claim 12, wherein the metal fastener comprises a bolt that extends through the first and second bushings and a nut that couples to a threaded end of the bolt.
 17. A combination comprising a building foundation, a metal anchor having an end portion extending upwardly from the building foundation, at least part of the end portion being threaded, a piece of treated wood that is treated with a substance corrosive to metal, the piece of treated wood having an aperture formed therethrough, the piece of treated wood being situated on the building foundation with the end portion of the metal anchor extending through the aperture, a nut threaded onto the end portion of the metal anchor, and an insulator having a first portion received in the aperture and having a second portion situated between the piece of treated wood and the nut, the first portion of the insulator preventing contact within the aperture between the metal anchor and the piece of treated wood, and the second portion of the insulator preventing contact between the nut and the piece of treated wood.
 18. The combination of claim 17, wherein the building foundation comprises at least two rows of cinder blocks, the metal anchor has a C-shaped portion that surrounds a portion of a first one of the cinder blocks, the anchor has an upstanding portion extending upwardly from the C-shaped portion, and part of the upstanding portion provides the end portion of the metal anchor.
 19. The combination of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the insulator extends substantially all the way through the aperture of the piece of treated wood.
 20. The combination of claim 17, wherein the building foundation comprises a concrete slab and the metal comprises a J-shaped bolt that is embedded partially within the concrete slab.
 21. For use with a piece of wood and a metal fastener, the piece of wood being treated with a metal-corrosive substance that has greater than 2% copper and that gives the piece of wood at least some electrolytic properties, the metal fastener having a first portion and a second portion that couples to the first portion to mount the piece of wood to a structure, an apparatus for protecting the metal from the piece of wood to prevent galvanic corrosion of the metal fastener, the apparatus comprising a cylindrical portion situated in an aperture formed in the piece of wood and an annular flange that extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion includes a bore that receives at least a part of the first portion of the metal fastener, and the annular flange is situated between the second portion of the metal fastener and a surface of the piece of treated wood. 